Opinions on plant ripeness? *Pics*

Hi all.

I have 3 plants well into flowering under 366 watts cfl's inside my grow box.

This is my 5th or 6th grow from the same unknown bagseeds, with a few clones of the same plant done in the past.

I've been scouring the web lately for info on what a ripe plant should look like. I feel like I placed too great an emphasis on trichomes too early on in my growing career, instead of paying attention to the plant as a whole.

I've stopped trying to harvest my indicas early, thinking I'd get a sativa high.

You don't get a sativa high from an underripe indica. You just get an underripe indica high. If I want a sativa high, I'll grow a sativa next time, and I hope I grow it until it's ripe.

My plants genetics are what they are. Picking an apple early won't make it taste like a tomato, and picking it late won't make it taste like a peach.

Anyway, without disclosing how long these plants have been in flowering, or what my trichome situation is, (yes, I have a 30X loop as well as the Radio Shack 60X-100X microscope), I was wondering if any experienced growers out there could look at these pics and tell me if this plant is RIPE or not.

I want to wait till the plant is done, THEN dial the ripeness in by checking the trichs.

Any thoughts on how much longer these plants LOOK like they will need to flower?

 

Temps range from 72-86 inside the box, so I think I'm pushing it heat-wise, but I suspect it's nute burn.

I'll be checking the trichs once the rest of the plant is ripe. (and, I have been checking them the past couple of weeks).

What I'm trying to do is get used to looking at the whole plant, and letting it go until it's ripe, and THEN using trich color to dial it in.

Here's my issue with judging a plant solely by it's trichomes:

I've noticed that trichs seem to appear in waves. Someone who knows more about trich formation is free to correct me, but that's what it looks like to me. Several times on past grows, I have checked the trichs at, say, the first day of week 7, and noticed mostly clear/cloudy, with maybe 10% amber.

I'd think harvest time was getting close, and when I checked them again 4-ish days later, they were mostly clear, meaning that a new flush of trichomes popped-up, diluting the ratio of cloudy/amber trichs. (again, I could be wrong about this, but that's what appears to have happened).

While I love seeing lots of trichomes, (and this particular plant has never been particularly 'frosty'-looking)-the fact that new waves of them keep appearing make me think that I've been harvesting a bit early all along, before the final wave of trichs had formed.

THAT"S why I'm trying to pay attention to the rest of the plant:
When the plant is finished, or LOOKS finished (which is what I'm trying to determine), presumably THAT is when the final flush of trichs occurs, and THAT is when I'm starting to think I should have been checking the trichomes all along.

My new harvest policy is to harvest when the plant is ripe, and to try my best to get out of the 'trichs trichs trichs only trichs' mode of thinking, and to realize that trichs are only one part of the whole.

In past grows, ALL I did was check trichomes, and I'm beginning to feel like I harvested when the first wave of trichs began to turn amber.

as I said above, I wish that I paid more attention to the REST of the plant, which is why I am asking YOU, dear reader, for help.

Incidentally, these plants are in the middle of week 7 since 12/12 began (Not since first pistils showed).

I've also heard that CFL's can add a week or two to flowering.

Anyone know if this is true?

 

Thanks Colafarmer!

Do you really think it's more of a sativa? I'd been growing it under the assumption that it was indica, or mostly indica.

I first grew this plant 2 years ago from unknown bagseeds along with a plant from a different batch of bagseeds that was definitely indica, and the leaf-blades DID seem a bit narrower on this plant, but it seemed to begin flowering about the same time as the known indica (which seemed bushier, 'thicker' or 'stockier', more rugged somehow).

Could it be a mix? How can I tell what it is besides the leaves?

I'm assuming that if it's a blend of indica/sativa, that it would take longer to finish than a pure indica, but not as long as a pure sativa?

At any rate, this is another good reason to watch the plant instead of relying solely on the 8-week flowering guideline and the trichs.

 

Thanks, xDisciplex!
Yeah, I noticed the pistils, and I know what you mean about the trichs, I just wanna get better at getting a sense of when the plant is getting close to the end by looking at it, which I'm not very good at so far!

Colafarmer thinks it might be a hybrid, which had never crossed my mind. if so, presumably it would take a few weeks longer to finish?

 

Yeah, some of the upper leaves are smooth, without the serrated edges (lower, older growth all looks normal).

I've grown clones of this plant in the past, (I moved 6 months ago, so there was a break in my perpetual clone grows. this is my first grow in the new place) but THIS plant is from seed, and the first time I've seen leaves like that. (I'm assuming that 're veg' means putting a flowering plant back into veg mode? no, I didn't do that to this plant)

It's not your eyes. I also noticed the sparse trichs, not too sure what that's about, but I really liked the smoke from these plants in past grows. Also, I suspect that 'old', experienced eyes are exactly what I need.

Since I have absolutely NO idea what this thing is, and since it sounds like I could be in for another 4-ish weeks or so of flowering, I suppose all I can do is just keep a close eye on calyx swelling, pistils receding and browning, and finally, the trichs?

 

I guess that's what I suspected. I wanted to get a few grows under my belt before I started buying seeds (and I had a bunch of them to practice with).

Also, just now the lights came on and I noticed some foxtailing beginning on a couple of buds. I have never witnessed this in this or any other plant i've grown before.

Any idea what causes it?

Is foxtailing a sign of indica/sativa?

Should I be worried about it? I'm not trying to win any beauty contests with the weed I grow, but I have absolutely no experience with foxtailing.

Heres a pic from 5 minutes ago-

 

Yeah, I'm starting to do that as well, although since I have no idea what kind of plant it is, or its genetics, I still don't know when it's supposed to finish no matter when I start counting.

That's why I'm plumbing the forested minds of the loverly GC community!

 

here's a better pic of the foxtailing that's beginning...

Any thoughts? as stated, I have no idea what I'm growing.

 

Thanks, Cola!

So, it's not indicative of anything useful, except that my seeds have run their course?